From Guilt, Resolve
by LordDespoiler
Summary: Somehow sent back to the beginning of his rebellion, Lelouch believes that he can and will save everyone he cares about with his knowledge of the future. When things start to fall apart and those closest to him get hurt, can he achieve the unconditional victory he seeks, or will trying to save everything make him lose it all instead?
1. Prologue: Zero Requiem

**A/N and Disclaimer:**

 **Welcome to the Prologue of "From Guilt, Resolve," my own darker take on a Code Geass rewind story. The endnote has a more detailed A/N, but for now, I invite you to read on!**

 **Disclaimer: I own no part of Code Geass or any of the characters appearing in it.**

 **Geass**

 _Thoughts_ or occasionally for _emphasis_

" _Preludes"_ followed by -Sources

* * *

 **Prologue: Zero Requiem**

* * *

 **Prelude:**

" _If you are hearing this message, Nunnally, you already know that I'm Zero. I'm sorry. I've failed somehow: either I'm dead or I've fled, too terrified of hurting people close to me. I've tried to distance you from myself when I lose control, but I… there are times when I feel like the only thing that I can feel is rage. Like when I thought you got hurt when… well, I'll explain that later. When that happens, it feels like everything and everyone near me is a target. I am an observer in my own mind, bearing witness to a being of pure, unadulterated hate. And I don't want that for you. You deserve to have a better brother than me, Nunnally, and for that I apologize. I may not be dead when you hear this, but if I'm not I'll be in a place where you cannot—and should not—follow me. Please don't try to find me in that case; I wouldn't do this if I didn't feel I had to, and it hurts me to even say this out loud, but you deserve some sort of explanation for this. For however the public may see me, or my actions. Share it with whomever you wish, but please finish it yourself and think about it before you do so. I'm making the first entry in this Journal just after the Battle of Narita. That was when I realized that foreknowledge couldn't solve everything, and that I could still fail. With that out of the way, let us start at the beginning."_

 _-_ A recording of Lelouch vi Britannia, to be bequeathed to his sister Nunnally vi Britannia upon his death by the designated executor of his will, his eminence Jeremiah Gottwald, Duke of Virginia.

* * *

 _At last_ , Lelouch thought with an internal sigh of relief as Suzaku— _Zero_ , he corrected himself—bounded up the ramp towards him. The Emperor had been afraid his friend would lose his nerve. But Suzaku had realized that there were somethings that could only have one solution. In this case, that was Lelouch's death at the hands of his best friend.

It wasn't the best plan ever, nor the most foolproof, but he trusted that Nunnally would make a good empress, in the end, especially with the legitimacy and protection of the new Zero. And Lelouch gave it better than even odds that the inner circle of the Black Knights, like Ohgi and Todoh would figure it out fairly quickly and go along with the plan, even if only because they had no other choice besides another world war. The pieces were all in place, and even if there was some resistance, Kallen would back Nunnally for sure once she figured it out. And with Suzaku's support as well, there wouldn't be a force in the world that could resist the empress when push came to shove.

A sharp, piercing agony brought him back to reality as he heard the wet sound of a sword piercing flesh. _I'm sorry_ , _Suzaku. For whatever the thought is worth, I'm sorry it had to be you who survives, and even that is the fault of my Geass, like so much else_.

"Lelouch," 'Zero' whispered, his voice breaking with held back tears.

A faint smile crossed the lips of the 99th Emperor of Britannia. His friend regretted it even now, despite all of the logic behind Requiem. As much as it was the antithesis of his own character, it was impossible not to admire it in some ways. Even though Lelouch had killed Euphy and so many others, his Knight still resisted administering the necessary punishment. He raised his bloody fingers to trace the contours of Zero's mask one last time; it was strange, really. He had never believed in the ideals of Zero to begin with. And yet now… _now it seems as if it is the true me. Playing the Emperor was as hard as being Zero ever was._ _To act as if I truly didn't care for others at all, like they were all pawns to be enslaved to my will with Geass… I tore myself apart inside. Without her, I probably would have lost it._

A tear rolled down his cheek as he thought about the person who had sparked it all. _I'm sorry, CC. You were my partner, my witch…my friend. Wherever you are right now. I didn't fulfill our contract. I cared for you, maybe even loved you, and yet in the end I have abandoned you like all the others. Except that I discovered your true wish and still broke it. I'm so sorry_. The thudding pain in his chest again returned Lelouch to reality, and his purpose for being here, impaled for the world to see. The emperor turned his head toward Suzaku so that the cameras couldn't read his lips. No reason for people to start asking questions now.

"Your punishment shall be this then," he rasped through the pain. "You will live on, defending the weak and always wearing that mask. You will no longer be Suzaku Kururugi, but sacrifice your happiness for the world, forever."

Suzaku said something in reply, but his senses were already beginning to fade and Lelouch couldn't make it out. Tumbling down the ramp, his body came to a rest next to his sister.

"Yes," he whispered finally, at last at the end, able to rest. "I have destroyed the world, and created it anew." Again he thought he heard a response, but he could barely even notice it existed.

He felt his last breath leave his body as he closed his eyes. Darkness consumed him, a pinpoint of light the only guide as he felt himself drawn forward. _I guess this is what it feels like to be dead. It's not that bad, really._ The light grew in his vision until it dominated his 'sight', though it remained pure white. _I'm comig, Euphy. I'll join you soon in the World of C._ Finally reaching the glow, he stepped through it. It felt like he was resurfacing after a long dive, resistance to physical movement suddenly lifted, feeling air against his skin, smelling the dust in the air. _That was… interesting._ Lelouch breathed in deeply. _I hope that—_ he felt his heartbeat flutter as the pure terror of realization cut off his thoughts. _Why am I breathing when there is no air in the World of C?_ Realizing that his eyes were actually closed, the white glow around him fading into familiar patterns of light and dark, he steeled himself against his fear. _Only one way to figure out what's going on, I guess._

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Hello to everyone, and thank you for reading the prologue of my first official fanfiction. I have been a big fan of CG ever since I watched it, and I've read many, many of the stories on this site, so I'm not going to list all of them that influenced me. Let it suffice to say that many did have some influence, but that I wanted to write a Rewind story specifically because I feel like my tone would be different than those before; certainly not better, necessarily, but at least different. Also, I just wanted to do it because I enjoyed writing it.**

 **That said, to those expecting yet another teasing Lelouch, overtly flirtatious and sexualized CC, and a generally humor-focused story, this will not be that story. It would take too long to explain my interpretations of characters, but in short there will be differences in their portrayal in this story as compared to other similar stories. Also, although there will be humor, this will not be a humor-centric story, and even though it is to some extent a romance-driven story (between LL and CC for the main pairing, if you were wondering, and it will be only them, not Kallen or Milly or anyone else), there will probably be no lemons because I have no experience writing them and I am not comfortable trying to do so; if there are a lot of requests for one, I** _ **might**_ **do it, but don't expect it. For now, this fic is rated M for exactly what it says it is rated M for: Language, possible graphic violence, and protecting my account from the mighty ban-hammer of the God-Administrators of Mankind.**

 **Wait. Wrong universe. sorry. But anyway, that's about all I have to say. If you are curious about choices I made and want to ask me about them, feel free to PM me, and as always reviews, follows, and favorites are much appreciated. I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I did writing it!**


	2. The Resurrection of a Demon

**A/N and Disclaimer:**

 **Welcome back to another chapter of "From Guilt, Resolve", a darker take on a Code Geass rewind story.**

 **Disclaimer: I own no part of Code Geass or any of the characters appearing in it.**

* * *

 **Geass**

 _Thoughts_ or occasionally for _emphasis_

" _Preludes"_ followed by -Source

* * *

 **Chapter One: The Resurrection of A Demon**

* * *

 **Prelude:**

" _The first thing that you have to understand is that we—CC and I—are time travelers. These versions of us are, at least. Two years in the future, I was killed by Suzaku as part of a plan that we called Zero Requiem, which was meant to both bring peace to the world and to give me the punishment I deserved for my crimes. Instead of dying, I woke up in Shinjuku ghetto, where it all began the first time, when I made the contract with CC."_

 _-_ A recording of Lelouch vi Britannia, to be bequeathed to his sister Nunnally vi Britannia upon his death by the designated executor of his will, his eminence Jeremiah Gottwald, Duke of Virginia.

* * *

Lelouch opened his eyes to the metallic stink of blood and the sight of CC sprawled at his feet. A thin haze of dust clouded the air of a blown-out building. The corpses of murdered Japanese civilians stood out in stark contrast to the dull gray of the debris-strewn floor. A dozen guns were pointed directly at him. _I'm back in Shinjuku? But why…_ He frowned in thought for a moment, but narrowed his eyes into a glare as the Britannian officer who shot CC spoke up.

"So, what do you think, boy?" The arrogance of ignorance dripped from every word.

Lelouch scowled in annoyance as the doomed man interrupted his thoughts. "Why should I care? I don't time for your idiotic games. **I,** **Lelouch vi Britannia, command you: DIE!** "

The prince turned dismissively from the dead men as they followed his commands. He had never forgotten the first time he did this—the thrill when he realized that he might actually be able to finally destroy Britannia. But this time… this was just another fight, another order. There was no reason to put on a show for the dead. A smile broke his mask for a moment as he considered the changes wrought on his personality since he originally received Geass. _I suppose CC finally impressed the importance of practicality on me after all_.

A quiet groan brought him back to the present as he moved to crouch anxiously beside the prone witch. _Will she remember? If she doesn't, would she be able to experience my memories? I guess if we went to Kamine Island she might be able to see into them… I'll need to do that eventually anyway; I'll need to find out if the Collective Unconscious had anything to do with this. Probably does. But then why am I back if I succeeded…_ He managed to quiet his racing thoughts as CC's face momentarily twisted into a grimace of pain. Lelouch schooled his face into an impassive mask as her eyes cracked open to look up at him. She paused for a moment, considering his expression before cracking one of her trademark smirks.

"You always miss the details, Lelouch," the witch laughed as his eyebrows raised involuntarily at her reaction. "Do you remember me making any such effort to meet you in Shinjuku last time?"

"…No," he responded somewhat sheepishly.

"You always miss the details," CC repeated with a grin that quickly morphed to a frown as she noticed where she was. "You know, a true gentleman would help a woman to her feet."

The ex-emperor couldn't help but chuckle at her ever-predictable teasing. He obediently extended a hand to her with a formal bow. "As you say, my _lady_ ," he responded sarcastically, pulling her to her feet and kissing the back of her hand for good measure.

"So what now?" The witch asked as she dusted herself off and wiped the blood from her forehead with the back of her sleeve.

"I haven't had much of a chance to think about it. I don't want to make any changes without considering how it will change future permutations, so I won't change Shinjuku at all. Villetta should be here in a few minutes, and things should play out the same from there." CC shrugged and leaned against the wall of the ruined, and tossed back her head as she craned her neck to look at him in an expression he knew so well.

"You're taking this whole back in time thing better than I would have thought."

Lelouch shrugged at her comment. "I am not really thinking about it right now."

"To avoid thinking about the past?"

Lelouch grunted an affirmative. "I can't afford to be distracted when I need to keep things the same until I have a chance to think this through, but… I don't know if I can take seeing them again."

"I'll be here, no matter what," she promised, coming over to place a hand on his arm. The prince gave her a small, sad smile that CC returned. "It's part of our contract, after all."

Before the prince could reply, he was interrupted by a crash as another wall of the building was blown inwards, a Sutherland appearing out of the new cloud of dust.

"What happened here?" Villetta's voice rang out through the knightmare's PA system, tinny from the speakers but still clearly recognizable. "What are two Britannians doing in a ghetto? Answer me!" Lelouch narrowed his eyes at the Purist's interruption as a hail of fist-sized bullets punched through the wall around his head. _How ironic that you and Ohgi came to love one another. I suppose people really can change_ …

"My name is Alan Spacer, and I am the son of a duke. I formally request secure transportation from Shinjuku. My ID card is in my breast pocket; it can confirm my identity." He allowed himself a grin as Villetta exited the knightmare as before.

" **Give me your knightmare and your sidearm and stand here for fifteen minutes or until someone new enters this room."** The prince felt the familiar tingling in his left eye as his Geass flared to life, but noticed that his right remained dormant. _Interesting. So I don't have Geass in both eyes, suggesting that only my mind has been transferred_.

"Of course. The code is XG2-D2D4." Lelouch accepted the pistol and key she presented to him.

He looked back at CC, who had moved forward to stand a few steps behind him "Are you coming, CC?"

"I don't see any particular reason to subject ourselves to being packed in like sardines. I'd only distract you and get in your way, anyway," CC replied. "I'll meet you back at Ashford. Let Sayoko know I am coming, though. I'd rather not get stabbed," she finished with grin.

"I would rather that as well, but Sayoko only kills people people I tell her to," Lelouch replied defensively. CC rolled her eyes as he turned back to knightmare. "I will call her, though. I was going to tell her I'll late anyway."

"Lelouch?" He turned again to find himself trapped in the immortal's embrace. "I'm glad you're alive. Just… be careful." His eyes widened in surprise at her sudden outburst of emotion.

The prince found himself reminded of the closeness they had shared before the Battle of Fuji, before the reality of Zero Requiem had set in. Those moments when he had considered just escaping it all with her, but couldn't because it would have condemned the world to chaos. Holding her head to his chest, he stroked her green hair and took a moment to simply revel in the comfort of human intimacy.

"Remember who you're talking to? Only my own plans can kill me." Lelouch commented ironically, yet with evident tenderness. His response drew a somewhat forced laugh from his partner's lips. "I'm sorry about Requiem. I haven't fulfilled our contract yet, let alone accomplished anything else that I need to do. I won't be going anywhere, I promise."

CC's looked down, hiding the pang of fatalistic resignation in her eyes. "Don't make a girl promises you can't keep, Lelouch. We both know that the world comes before our contract."

"That won't matter," he declared vehemently. "I know what is coming and what to plan for. I can accomplish both goals this time. I can create a better world and still grant your wish. Even though it had to be done, it isn't as if I liked Requiem either once I knew Nunnally was alive."

Finally recovering her own composure, CC pulled back from the embrace. "I know. I just…" her words trailed off. "You're not invincible, no matter how much you know of the future or how well you plan." She looked down and clenched her hands at her sides. "Anyway, you should get going. The Black Knights probably need you."

"The future Black Knights," he corrected. "Technically they don't exist yet. But I know," Lelouch nodded. "I'll see you tonight, CC."

"Remember to call Sayoko!" She called after him. He grinned back as he entered the cockpit.

* * *

It took Lelouch barely five minutes to get into position to ambush the Sutherlands on the rail line, giving him plenty of time.

"Hello, Master Lelouch. What can I do for you?"

"Hey, I just wanted to call you and let you know that I'll be too late to make it to dinner tonight, since I got caught up in something in the Shinjuku ghetto."

"Are you hurt?" Sayoko asked. "Rivalz mentioned that you had fallen into the back of a truck that he got into an accident with and then it had driven off. Nunnally has been worried sick about you ever since he got back."

The prince grunted as if he had been punched. _Nunnally was… worried about me._ He felt a drop of moisture slowly roll its way down his cheek. _She cares. I haven't hurt her_. _Yet._

"Are you alright, master?" the maid repeated, worry now evident in her voice.

"I'm fine! I'm fine, Sayoko, I just got… distracted for a moment. I'm just going to be here for a while, since something happened with some terrorists or something in the ghetto. I've been detained just because they are being careful, but my ID checked out."

"Oh. Tell me," she replied, voice suddenly careful and measured, "has your asthma given you any trouble?"

Lelouch was confused for a moment, before realizing what she meant and grinning. It was an old code that he had come up with years ago for communicating whether his identity had been compromised and she should hide with Nunnally. "Don't worry; it hasn't given me any trouble in months."

"Ah, good. That's a relief. I was worried for a moment."

"Yeah. It may take a while for everything to get sorted out and for everything to get ironed out, but everything will be fine. Just… don't worry Nunnally by giving her the details. Just tell her there was traffic or something. The government probably won't publicize what's happening, and she… she doesn't need to know the details." He hesitated for a moment, gauging what else he should tell her.

"Master Lelouch?"

"I… It's nothing. I'll tell you later." _When I'm not supposedly in Britannian custody_. He finally remembered why he called in the first place. "Oh, and someone will be arriving at some point this evening. I'm not really sure when she'll get there, but she has long, light green hair and her name is CC. She will be staying with us for a while.

"Very well. Stay safe, Master Lelouch."

He sighed at her formality. "Lelouch is just fine, Sayoko. Goodness knows, you've been with us for long enough to be part of the family."

"If you insist, ma—Lelouch."

"Thanks. Talk to you later." He flipped the phone shut with a snap and slipped it into his pocket. It was time for the real games to begin. Lelouch cracked his knuckles and turned on his stolen resistance radio.

"The west entrance."

"Who the hell is this? How did you get this code?" Kallen's voice crackled back angrily over the radio.

"Who I am doesn't matter at all, only that I can give you and your friends a chance to win."

"To win? How—"

The prince cut her off. "We—or rather, YOU—don't have time for this argument right now."

"Why should I—" Kallen shouted before Lelouch interrupted her again.

"Get on the tracks and jump on top of the eastbound train. You will have help once you arrive." Lelouch smirked as he shut off the radio again. He wasn't sure if the sound of grinding teeth had been coming through the radio, or if it was just his own imagination.

* * *

"Hey you! On the radio!" Kallen got no response and ground her teeth so hard that her jaw hurt. She wanted to hit something. She really, really, _really_ wanted to hit something. Ideally the owner of the voice on the radio, to start with. Even at Ashford, a school full of Britannian nobles, she had never heard a more arrogant, condescending tone. _Of course, that would mean not starting with a member of the Britannian royal family. Maybe they'd line up for me?_ Kallen snorted at her own strangely optimistic train of thought. Unfortunately, turning around and fighting the two Sutherlands chasing her was not an option with a one armed Glasgow. _Damn Britannians. I'd beat both their asses if I had one of their knightmares, two on one or not_. She groaned as she looked at her energy filler again and realized that her only chance was probably listen to the arrogant bastard with the stolen radio. "Goddammit."

* * *

"Ah, you came. I was worried you wouldn't see reason," the voice crackled over the radio with a burst of stack, yet somehow managing to sound completely unsurprised. "Jump on the train, then turn and take care of the first Sutherland. I'll get rid of the second." Kallen wished she could punch whoever the arrogant bastard was, but she didn't really have a choice. _At least he trusted me to take down a Sutherland in a one-armed fourth-gen,_ she noticed with some surprise. Shrugging off the thought, she tightened her grip on the control sticks, mentally counting down until she jumped.

 _Two… One… and now!_ Pushing off her knightmare's right land spinner, perfectly timing her slash harken to hit the first Sutherland as it came into view. "Take that, you Britannian pig!" She knew as soon as the hit connected that it would deal crippling damage and force the pilot to eject. Before the other could react, another harken shot from a hole in a building beside the rail line, disabling the other pursuer. _But that looks like a… Sutherland?!_ Kallen did a double take before seeing the strange Sutherland spin further into the building.

"Kallen, did you get that radio message?" She noticed that Ohgi, Tamaki, and the others were all jogging toward the train.

"Did that guy—" _not "the asshole", he DID save you, Kallen_ "—contact you guys too?"

"Yeah, he did. But I don't know who—"

All of their radios crackled at once.

"I give you the gift of the contents of that train, as tools to win this battle," the voice announced. "It can be done if you obey my orders."

"Hey boss, look!" Tamaki shouted as he pushed open the doors of one car. "There are Sutherlands in here, enough for all of us!"

 _Not just knightmares, but Sutherlands? To people he's never met?_ _But—_

"Woman in the Glasgow, recharge your energy filler. You'll be running decoy for the rest of the group." Kallen shrugged and started the process. She didn't like it, but he had just saved her and given them enough weapons to really fight the Britannians on even ground. _Might as well give it a shot. It's not like you expected to survive today 20 minutes ago anyway._

* * *

The room slowly came into focus as Suzaku opened his eyes to see the face of a young Britannian women standing over him. "Good afternoon, Private Kururugi. I'm Cecile Croomy." Her voice was… not exactly friendly, but certainly respectful and polite. "You're lucky to be alive. This," she continued as she offered a now-dented pocket watch to him, "saved your life."

"Thank you." The Eleven hesitated for a moment. "I… was there another boy found near me? A Britannian student?"

Cecile frowned in thought for a moment. "I didn't hear of anyone like that being brought to the field hospital. Who are you looking for?"

"His... it doesn't matter. Not much I can do from here anyway."

"Cecile, is our test subject awake yet?" A voice echoed down the hallway.

"Sorry in advance about Lloyd," she apologized quietly.

"What do you—" A thin, fairly tall man in a lab coat practically danced into the room.

"Excellent, he's awake! Tell me, Suzaku Kururugi," he smirked knowingly at the injured teen, "how would you like to be the devicer for a new prototype knightmare?"

"A—a knightmare? But I'm—" He cut himself off mid-sentence. _Shut up Suzaku! This is what you've wanted, right? A chance to climb the ranks? This is it._ The scientist—Lloyd, Cecile had said—winked at him, as if reading his thoughts.

"Today really is your lucky day, isn't it? Welcome to the Camelot Program," Lloyd smirked again. "Hopefully you'll last longer than the other pilots."

* * *

Clovis felt his heart skip a beat as the IFF icons of the Sutherlands that had been converging on the terrorists position blinked out in an expanding ring.

"Bartley, what happened?!" The Viceroy demanded.

"It—it appears that the terrorists triggered a collapse of a network of old subway tunnels, your highness. All Knightmares in the main combat area have been lost."

Clovis felt panic rising in him. There was no way run-of-the-mill terrorists could defeat him, which meant that the JLF was probably here, which meant they had... _Tohdoh?! No!_ _And I'm out of knightmares. What now? What would Lelouch or Schneizel do? Maybe—_

"Ahem," Lloyd had again appeared on the main bridge display.

The 3rd prince groaned inwardly, but there was no other option. "Lloyd, can your Lancelot stop them?"

"Of course, your highness! I've always said it could!"

"Then you have permission to deploy it. The objective is the annihilation of all resistance forces in Shinjuku.

* * *

Kallen blinked her eyes owlishly at the giant crater where several city blocks had been mere seconds ago. _We… we actually did it! We did it!_

"We won! We did it!" Tamaki shouted. _Well, we beat their knightmares at any rate, but still_ …

"Not quite," the voice corrected immediately. "The Britannians are about to deploy their most advanced prototype knightmare frame to date. They call it the Lancelot. Your Sutherlands, even all together, cannot beat it, and in any case I don't want you to." There was an ominous as he let that sink in.

"Yeah we can! We just—"

"Shut up, Tamaki," Kallen responded seriously. "We only got this far because of what this guy has done for us and his leadership. Besides, I'm guessing that there is something else he needs us to do."

"Precisely, Q-1," came the quick reply, not allowing Tamaki to object further. "I need you all to run decoy against it. The pilot is actually quite honorable, and will try to land disabling blows instead of targeting the cockpits. Once you eject, find your way to one of the shelters. I have a final card to play."

"You expect us to just leave these knightmares behind? Are you crazy?" Tamaki shouted indignantly.

The response was given in the coldest tone she'd ever heard. "Tamaki, isn't it? Tell me, did you plan to smuggle all these Sutherlands through the Britannian lines? Maybe fight your way through the Lancelot and the perimeter of conventional ground forces Clovis has set up? Perhaps you hadn't realized that would leave all of the _other_ residents of Shinjuku to die." The voice paused, and even Tamaki didn't dare respond to his icy tone. "Unlike you, I have considered the final outcomes and come up with a solution. So go and do what I tell you, unless you are not fight for the people of Shinjuku after all. "

There was a subdued atmosphere on the radio as they got into position. "Hey, what is your plan, anyway?" Kallen asked finally.

"I'm going to cut off the head of the snake." The stranger said it matter-of-factly, as if there was no risk in such a plan, no chance of failing to assassinate a Britannian royal. _Damn. Points for being audacious, at least_. "Don't contact me again on this channel."

"Hey, wait! What are we supposed to call you?" Kallen cursed her tone. She sounded like a teenage girl running after a stranger who'd just saved her. _Which is true, I guess, but it doesn't make it sound any less stupid_.

"…I have gone by several names, but you can call me Zero. I'll contact you." There was a click as Zero's radio was turned off.

"The whole mysterious stranger with many names thing? Really? Is this some kind of novel or something?" She sighed to herself. _In the end, does it really matter if it works, though? And if he can kill Clovis, it'll be the biggest blow to the Britannians since the invasion._ She shook her head again. "Well, best of luck to you, 'Zero.' Now it's time for us to do our part." She noticed a single red blip had appeared on the scanner, and stretched before settling back into the pilot seat.

* * *

"—All casualties are to be treated equally, and I will tolerate no more killing. I order this in the name of Clovis la Britannia, Third Prince of Britannia and Viceroy of Area 11." As the recording device shut off, Clovis returned his attention to the only other person present on the darkened bridge. "Was that satisfactory? Would you like me to sing a song, or play a game of chess with you, perhaps?"

Lelouch gave a small, tight chuckle as he walked into the dim backup lighting on the bridge and removed his helmet. "I'm afraid that you would only lose, just as you did at the Imperial Villa all those years ago… brother."

"Le—Lelouch?! You're alive? This is wonderful!" Clovis stood from his throne and began to step forward. "We all thought you were dead, but I am so happy that you are finally—"

"Sit down, you bastard." Lelouch commanded as he raised his stolen pistol. "I am not going back to Britannia; both it and you are monsters, just like father. I'm here today because you ordered the death of an entire ghetto to hide your precious human experimentation."

"Human experimentation? How do you know about that? And what does it matter? They are just Elevens, Lelouch! Besides, it isn't as if anyone cared about that green-haired bitch we—" The off-hand excuse turned into a howl of agony as a gunshot echoed in the confines of the bridge. Falling out of his throne as he hunched over, the Viceroy stared in shock at the bloody mess of his right knee.

"I care, you bastard!" Clovis raised his now-terrified gaze back to the brother that loomed over him, finally realizing his predicament even as fought against the worst pain he had ever endured. Lelouch stalked toward him, eyes narrowed as he looked upon the despicable man before him. "You say no one cares for CC, yet she is the closest friend I have. She was my anchor through years of chaos and war, through countless tragedies and atrocities. When I lost her it nearly destroyed me, and yet you…" Lelouch put his foot on Clovis' wound and leaned on it, eliciting another screech. "You dare to say that no one cares for her?!" he shouted angrily. "That she doesn't matter?!"

"Lelouch please! I didn't know!" The viceroy hissed through gritted teeth. "I'm your brother! Your own flesh and blood!" His shooter squatted down and jammed the gun barrel under his chin.

"You know, if you'd only killed a few thousand people," Lelouch replied conversationally. "I might have forgiven you. I've done far worse, after all. But you tortured one of the few people I actually have left in this world, and the only person who never betrayed me, no matter many mistakes I made." He paused briefly before continuing bitterly: "besides, my hands are already stained with the blood of my siblings. What's one more to the count?"

"What would Nunnally say?!" Clovis pleaded desperately. "If she knew that you killed me, what would she say about it?"

The exile rocked back on his heels for a moment, staring off into space for a moment before focusing on the royal at his feet. "Once, that might have saved you. But now…" Lelouch leaned closer to his brother and looked him in the eye. "In the end, what does one more sin matter when she would already hate me if she knew what I've done? I left that line behind a long time ago, 'brother.'"

He squeezed the trigger to cut off any response Clovis may have had. Taking a moment to calm his emotions, Lelouch holstered the pistol away and walked to the exit. His finger hovering above the button to open the door, he paused in turmoil for a moment, looking back the still-warm corpse of his brother. He didn't mind his rage in this case. There was no question that Clovis deserved it, after all. But the way he'd tortured him... he'd wanted to do it. To hurt his brother, not just kill him but make him suffer like he did to CC. The way he'd stepped on his wound; what kind of monster would— _Stop it, Lelouch_ , he told himself, shaking his head clear. _It was another episode, that was all and you know it. Going back in time isn't going to change what you are._ Closing the door behind him, he put his helmet back on and began the long walk to the edge of the ghetto.

* * *

As she climbed the steps to the floating stone platform, she was discomforted as always by the gaps between each stone slab. Seeing as how the structure was technically not physical and could be shaped by certain individuals, she didn't understand why her husband hadn't redesigned it yet. _Probably some absurd manifestation of bravery and manly virtue, I suppose_ , she thought with a snort. Finally reaching the top of the stairs, she made her way over to the large man silhouetted against the perpetual evening light of the Sword of Akasha.

"What's the problem, Charles?" Marianne vi Britannia demanded impatiently. "Eventually someone's going to get suspicious of Anya's absences, and—"

"Clovis is dead," her husband cut her off sharply. "Our son apparently made a contract with CC and killed him."

The ex-empress initially thought to celebrate, but quickly realized that her husband wasn't finished. "That isn't a problem in itself. What else happened?"

"I looked at Clovis' memories. Lelouch's behavior was confusing to say the least, but most worrisome was that he implied some things that make no sense given what we know of his time in Area 11." Marianne raised her eyebrows in surprise and accessed the memories through Charles' power.

"The only explanation that possibly makes sense is that CC met him during the invasion, but even that doesn't explain the rest," she remarked, eyes narrowing in thought. "He never killed any of his siblings before Clovis, we would know, but he implied that he had. It just doesn't make sense. And the way he said that he has done things that Nunnally would never forgive him for… he seemed utterly certain that she wouldn't."

"If I didn't know better, I would say that he had lived through her condemning him already," Charles replied.

"That's exactly what it sounds like!" Marianne exclaimed. "But weren't they both still living together with the Ashford's, the last we heard?" Her husband gave a somber nod as he continued to gaze out over the World of C. The former empress began pacing anxiously, as was her wont.

"I told you what I believed CC's true wish is, the one that she doesn't consciously know, or at least won't acknowledge." Charles turned to her. "She wishes for someone to love her unconditionally because of her, rather than because of her Code or Geass, even if she won't admit it to herself. Regardless of any other implications, the depth of the affection that Lelouch expressed to Clovis means that he might be able and willing to fulfill this wish. And that, my dear, puts the plan at risk."

His wife stiffened. "We're not going to kill him, Charles!"

"I never said we would," he replied, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "He was our choice to lead post-Ragnarok, remember? This still might even turn out to our advantage, but we still need to keep an eye on all this at the very least."

"You want to send someone? VV will likely want to be kept in the loop when he finds out, and even preoccupied as he is, don't think that little bastard won't for a moment."

"Not the details, if I can help it. After you leave I'll alter Clovis' memories so it doesn't seem as alarming," her husband said more calmly. "But for now, we watch and wait. If VV sends someone, then we can send a counterpart of our own choosing. Communicate with CC and try to determine if she is still committed to the plan. We'll go from there. But Marianne," he warned as she turned away, "Don't give her any hint that something is amiss with Lelouch. For all we know, she might have a role in it herself."

"Very well, Charles. But I am not letting VV harm them, no matter what you say."

Charles sighed as his wife stalked back down the stairs towards the exit of the Sword. Turning to gaze out over the clouded expanse around him, he clasped his hands behind his back. This new development was disturbing. Very disturbing.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Hello readers. In general, I will leave the space at the beginning free of longer author's notes apart from essential content, and put the longer, less important stuff down at the end, like this is.**

 **Unless otherwise specified, assume events are cannon unless they involve specific changes to plans mentioned in the text. The idea for the preludes came from a variety of places, but I was thinking about** _ **Mistborn**_ **when the thought of doing it for this fanfiction came up, so I'll give that series most of the credit. If you want to understand my reasoning behind some choices, such as how I portray certain characters, PM me and I'll try to get back to you efficiently. Keep in mind that any such decisions are my own, and I make them in a way that lets me tell the story I want to tell, while still being as true as possible to the original work; I'm also not going to make a huge effort to stay with the original dialogue in repeated scenes, because not only is it unoriginal but its tedious to go through and rewatch scenes that way. Most of the time, the small differences in wording will not have no real ripple effect, and if something is a ripple point I will try to make it fairly clear, like I did above, when Charles and Marianne responded differently to Lelouch's behavior when he, uh, "talked" with Clovis.**

 **I cannot promise regular updates, since finals are coming up very soon, but I will try to get at least one more chapter out before them (i.e., before May 1** **st** **) and another before I start my summer job a week or two after that. Hope that you enjoy it so far, and as always reviews, follows, favs, etc. are much appreciated.**


	3. Reunions

**A/N and Disclaimer:**

 **Welcome back to another chapter of "From Guilt, Resolve", a darker take on a Code Geass rewind story.**

 **Disclaimer: I own no part of Code Geass or any of the characters appearing in it.**

* * *

 **Geass**

 _Thoughts_ or occasionally for _emphasis_

" _Preludes"_ followed by -Source

* * *

 **Chapter Two: Reunions**

* * *

 **Prelude:**

" _When I first came back, it felt like a dream come true. I had made so many mistakes, hurt so many people, and now I had a chance to fix all of them. It made me arrogant, Nunnally. I thought that because I had some degree of foreknowledge, I could control everything, but as we later figured out, even when I killed Clovis, I had already triggered a chain of events that would lead to problems."_

 _-_ A recording of Lelouch vi Britannia, to be bequeathed to his sister Nunnally vi Britannia upon his death by the designated executor of his will, his eminence Jeremiah Gottwald, Duke of Virginia.

* * *

Lelouch finally trudged up to the door of his Ashford residence at around eleven at night. He was exhausted, his mind awhirl with possible deviations and permutations from the original timeline, always with one question at the back of his mind: _Why am I here and not dead?_ The prince sighed to himself and leaned against the porch column as he fished around for his ID that would let him access the building, but before he could reach it a warm, inviting glow rolled out from the door as a familiar face opened it to greet him.

"I was getting worried. Are you alright?" Sayoko inquired as she held the door open for him to enter.

The prince grunted a tired affirmative. "Just exhausted. Thanks for staying up for me. Are there any leftovers?" Lelouch allowed his mind to roam while Sayoko nodded and reentered the kitchen.

Sayoko nodded and vanished into the kitchen, returning a few minutes later with a couple of pieces of reheated pizza. "Your green-haired friend arrived some time ago. She said that she would be waiting in your room."

Lelouch nodded. "Thanks for letting her in."

"Will she be staying with us long?"

"For the foreseeable future, yes," Lelouch replied as he took a bite of pizza. "She's… one of my oldest friends, I guess. I met her during the war. She needs a place to stay for a while, so she will be living with us for a while."

"Shall I prepare a guest room, then?" Sayoko inquired, the question bringing a rush of heat to his face as he realized the implications of what he had just said.

"I… No, thank you. We aren't dating or anything. She just doesn't like to sleep alone because of… she often has nightmares about something that happened during the invasion. She would probably just end up in my room anyway, so I'll just get a quilt and sleep on the couch in there." He pointedly ignored how his maid raised her eyebrows in skepticism, trusting that no matter what Sayoko's misconceptions, she would be discrete. "How was Nunnally today?" Lelouch asked, quickly changing the subject.

"She was worried about you after Rivalz came back and told us what happened, but she was okay after you called. She went to bed on time and has been asleep for a few hours now."

"Great. Did she meet CC yet, by chance?" Sayoko shook her head.

"No, your sister was already in bed by the time she arrived."

"OK." Lelouch finished his pizza and began to climb the stairs. "Thanks for getting dinner for Nunnally."

"Of course, Lelouch. Good night."

As he reached the top of the stairs, the prince considered going to look in on Nunnally, but thought better of it. That trial could wait until tomorrow, once he was rested and his emotions back under control

Lelouch silently eased his bedroom door open, being careful not to let too much light in from the hallway. CC was already asleep, as he knew she would be, her long hair splaying out on the sheets beside her. He tossed his uniform shirt at his closet, not caring whether or not it landed anywhere close. Normally he was quite neat, but he felt like he hadn't slept in days. _I guess I haven't, though, counting the final day of Requiem._ Collapsing on opposite side of the bed from CC, he stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.

Why the hell was he back at the beginning? And why did CC remember everything, but Kallen and Suzaku didn't? _Or at least they don't seem_ to, he corrected himself. None of itmade sense. Lelouch groaned with as much exhaustion in frustration, causing the figure beside him to stir slightly and let out an unintelligible murmur. Looking over at the witch, moonlight playing across her face, he was struck again by how much she affected him; how much she meant to him. _Where would I be_ , he wondered, _if he hadn't met her and still tried to fight?_

 _Dead, most likely._ He thought with a snort. _Either in Shinjuku, to Clovis' guards, or in Saitama to Cornelia's army, or in Kawaguchi to Kusakabe's sword, or…_ The list went on and on.

Lelouch sighed, looking back at CC. Tomorrow, they'd have to talk about what had happened, and a plan for what to do. But that was for when he could actually think. "Good night, CC," he whispered as he rolled over and closed his eyes.

* * *

Lelouch slowly woke to light streaming in through the window. He rolled over to go back to sleep and saw that the clock read 8:47 AM. Zero Requiem was in around four and a half hours. _Four and a half hours until—wait, why am I in Ashford?_ The prince remembered what happened the day before, and rubbed his eyes.

He sat up with a groan and staggered to the bathroom. Peeling off his undershirt, he splashed his face with cold water and examined himself in the mirror, noticing with relief that both of his eyes were brilliant violet, unmarred by the telltale maroon of Geass.

"At least that tells me something," Lelouch sighed in relief as he ticked off what he knew. "So only my mind—or to be more precise, my consciousness—has been sent back. That's likely true for CC as well. No one else I've interacted with seems to remember anything. Given the likely relationship with Geass—"

"—the most likely people to remember events are those related to Codes or Geass," a characteristically bored voice finished for him. He looked up at the mirror again to see CC leaning against the door behind him.

"I thought you were still asleep," Lelouch commented as he dried his face.

"I was." CC tilted her head at him, face expressionless. "You woke me up."

"Sorry."

She shrugged. "I don't really mind, one way or the other. It's like I need to stay awake after you go to class, so we might as well talk now. And you don't have to worry about anyone else remembering. At least, you shouldn't have to."

Her voice was uncharacteristically emotional, and something about her tone made Lelouch stop and stare at her for a second, assessing her words. "Why?"

"We're here because I asked God—well, C, technically—to give you another chance." Unshed tears sparkled in her eyes as she gave him a weak smile.

"You…" Lelouch stopped himself as he processed her words before stepping over to embrace her, allowing his own tears of happiness to flow freely down his cheeks. "Thank you," he whispered hoarsely in her ear. "Thank you, CC."

She returned his firm embrace. "I didn't want to let go of the one person in centuries that made me feel human again. I—I couldn't lose you. Not again."

CC's words gave the prince pause for a moment before he finally realized what she was saying—what she had been saying, for so long now—and her eyes widened in surprise as he kissed her deeply. Separating to catch his breath, Lelouch rested his forehead on hers, their heavy panting in unison.

"That was a… surprise," she commented breathlessly, eliciting a chuckle from the prince.

"I promise you, we will be together, CC. We couldn't before because of my own mistakes," he continued apologetically, "but whether we find a way to get rid of your code without me taking it, or if I have to take VV's code and continue on with you, I will _not_ leave you." Lelouch entwined his fingers with hers.

"I'll hold you to that. But what is this, then? Our relationship?" Her voice carried a tremor of anxiety that the former emperor quickly allayed.

"CC, you are the only person in this world I can rely on, especially now. You know me better than anyone, and stayed with me through two years of chaos and war and pain. I don't really know what love is beyond my affection for Nunnally," he admitted honestly, "but I know there is no one on this earth who I would rather have at my side." She nestled her head against his shoulder. "So to answer your question, I would like us to be in a long-term romantic relationship, yes."

"You know, when you put it that… scientifically, it doesn't really sound very romantic at all," CC responded lightly. She released him from her arms to allow him to begin to dress for school.

Lelouch shrugged in amusement. "I'm not the most tactful person, as you are well aware," he reminded her. "And besides, would you have settled for anything less than an actual commitment?" Pulling his shirt on, he began to pack his backpack. "I may have borderline personality disorder and severe trust issues, CC, but you have anxiety that dwarves those of anyone else I know and your own array of trust problems, however good you may be at hiding them. I don't want you to be worried about that."

As he looked up from his bag, he found himself again embraced by his companion. "I don't think that's necessary, Lelouch." CC reached out and cupped his cheek. "I'm just happy you feel the same way."

Her partner gently traced the Geass symbol on her forehead. "And I'm glad I finally found the courage to say it. I'll see you tonight."

* * *

Lelouch spent much of the day on autopilot before history class. The student council meeting had gone by quickly once he'd actually buckled down on it, and he'd drifted through his classes without thinking, too preoccupied planning his next moves to actually pay attention. He didn't even really think about his conversation with CC this morning; there was simply too much to do.

 _The most immediate dilemma is how to approach the future Black Knights,_ he concluded as the bell rang. _Do I tell them about Geass, do I show them my face, and do I actually tell them that I am a prince?_

All of the different options had their own pros and cons, of course. The first to have been ruled out was actually telling them that he was a prince. That was almost sure to cause more trouble than it was worth. There was the long term risk that they would eventually find out and react similarly to when Schneizel told them before, but as long as Lelouch Lamperouge was at least known to them in some way, that should be manageable. Geass was a more difficult question. It might make sense to at least tell some of the leaders—maybe even all of the original members—about it, but making it common knowledge once the Black Knights started to grow was out of the question.

"What's up, Lelouch? See something you like?" Rivalz interrupted his musings, noticing the direction of his friend's gaze. The prince realized he'd been absently-mindedly looking at Kallen and gave a noncommittal shrug.

"I'm simply surprised that she's in class. Kallen's been out with some sort of illness for most of the semester."

"Oh-ho, you know her name already?"

Lelouch massaged his temples, trying to ignore the urge to snap at the other student. _How did I ever put up with him? He's so… happy_. "She's in my class, of course I do. Also, she's on Milly's short list for the student council, and she asked me to talk to her about it after class today."

"So you're not…" Rivalz trailed off in disappointment.

"No," the prince cut him off, returning his focus to the lecture. He ignored Rivalz for the rest of class, finally finding relief when the ending bell rang. Standing up, Lelouch snaked his way around the desks to reach his target. "Excuse me," he interrupted politely, "Kallen Stadtfeld? Could I speak with you, please? It's regarding student council business." She gave him a confused look, but nodded and excused herself from the gaggle of other girls.

"What's going on?" Kallen's voice was lethargic with feigned timidity as they left the classroom.

"Milly—the Student Council President—wants you to join, so she asked me to give you the quick version of what we do. We're a bit short-handed right now, and you need an extracurricular anyway, so she figured you'd fit right in," he explained as they exited the main building and walked toward the student council 'capitol', as the President liked to style it.

"Oh. I mean, I guess so. You're the Vice President, right?"

"Yeah. Mostly, we just handle festivals and such, like the absolute silence party and swimsuit day—"

"Wait, those actually happened? I thought that my friends were just bullshitting me!" the red-head exclaimed.

Lelouch snorted. "I wish they were. Be warned, Milly forces the student council to 'cooperate fully,' so _I_ was the one stuck actually being involved in the damn things." He sighed and shot her a sidelong glance as he unlocked the door to the student council building. "I wish I was conveniently sick as much as you are."

"What's that supposed to mean?" The red-head stayed in character—just—but he could hear the defensiveness in her voice.

"Nothing in particular. Speaking of getting familiarized with our jobs, though, you shouldn't have a problem. To be honest, we don't do a whole lot, and what you need to know you can figure out on the fly."

Kallen's eyes narrowed at his admission, and the growing suspicion in her voice began to crack through her school persona. "So then why am I here?"

"Oh, no reason." Lelouch shrugged. He took out a nondescript phone from his pocket and opened up the single text message in the inbox before offering it to her. "Because you and I have a certain mutual friend… Q-1." Before he could say anything else, Lelouch found himself pinned to the door by Kallen's arm.

"How the hell do you know that name?!" She hissed. "And no bullshit!"

"I already told you, we have a mutual friend!"

Kallen was about to retort when a high-pitched wail interrupted their conversation. "LULU! What on earth are you doing?!" _Why is Shirley here now? Wasn't the induction supposed to be tomorrow?_

"I think that it's quite clear what he is doing, Shirley," Milly answered the other girl. "But I gotta give it to you, Lelouch, you work fast. Kallen's not even been back a day, and you're already making moves." His attacker's face, which still obstructed his sight of the rest of the ballroom, began to turn bright red.

"I'll explain later," Lelouch whispered quietly enough that only Kallen could hear. "Can you not cut my throat in front of everyone, though? At least wait for an explanation."

"Fine, but I want it before the end of the day." As she let go of his collar, Lelouch calmly straightened his uniform

"What was happening was that I managed to piss her off while discussing her joining the student council, and she was trying to strangle me," he addressed the rest of his friends as they descended from the balcony. "There was nothing else going on at all." Lelouch looked at Milly and shook his head almost imperceptibly. _Come on, Milly! Drop it, just this once._

There were equal parts curiosity, amusement, and concern warring in the blonde's eyes and she cocked her head to one side, but she shrugged. "That's… actually pretty believable," she replied in disappointment, not all of it fake. Milly grinned at the shocked expressions of the other three members. "I've known Lelouch for almost a decade and he's managed to piss off literally everyone I know except Nunnally at least a dozen times. Is it so hard to believe he did it again?"

"Then… you aren't dating?" Shirley asked anxiously.

"No, we aren't. And since she just tried to beat me up, I doubt that will change in the near future."

"You never know, 'Lulu.' Who can plan for the vagaries of love?" Milly grinned mischievously and Lelouch rolled his eyes at her.

"I believe you!" Rivalz voice was muffled as he rummaged through a drawer. "Here it is!" He announced as he pulled out a brown paper bag.

 _Oh, not again…_ The prince groaned internally as he watched the familiar scene unfold. He was surprised it happened a day earlier for some reason, but Kallen still managed to get soaked with champagne. _At least I won't get threatened with a knife this time. Probably_.

* * *

"Can I come in?" Lelouch called through the bathroom door. "I brought some of my spare clothes for you."

Kallen sighed in resignation. "Sure. The curtain's pulled." She heard the door open and a soft thump as Lelouch placed the stack of clothes on the counter. She was quiet for a moment, too embarrassed to ask, but finally built up her courage. "Um. I want to talk about our 'mutual friend', but… could you face the door while I dry and dress?"

"Of course."

Quickly toweling herself dry, the red-head quickly pulled on the jeans and black t-shirt he'd provided, then leaned against the counter and crossed her arms. "You can turn around now."

"Thanks. Have you read the message?" Lelouch asked as he turned around.

Kallen realized she'd forgotten to do so and pulled out the phone.

'Trust the person who brings you this message. He is one of my oldest and most trusted friends, and will help you as well. -0"

Kallen gritted her teeth in frustration. _Still, this_ Zero _had led us to victory once because we'd trusted him. I suppose I owe it to him to at least give this Brit a chance._ "Fine. I'll accept that you work for Zero, but you need to answer some of my questions." Lelouch inclined his head. "How did a Britannian like you end up working for a Japanese terrorist?" Kallen demanded.

"That is a question with many different answers—" the condescension in his tone made Kallen want to punch him and she straightened angrily, but was halted by his raised hand "—and I'll try to answer as many as I safely can."

"How can I trust you if you don't tell me everything?"

"Do you tell everyone that you are half-Japanese and an active insurgent against Britannia, as was your brother before his untimely death?"

Kallen's initial response died in her mouth. "How do you know about Naoto?" She whispered hoarsely. Her grip on the hidden knife in her pouch tightened and she took a step toward him.

"Because I am very, _very_ good at discovering secrets." Lelouch held his hands out in a gesture of surrender. "That's what I do for Zero."

Swallowing some of her fear that, Kallen nodded tightly, though not loosening her hold on the hidden weapon.

Lelouch breathed a sigh of relief. "As I was saying, the reason there are multiple answers is because you're asking multiple questions. As to the most important one to you—why I'm fighting my own country—you've already met her."

Kallen felt her eyes widen in realization. "Nunnally?"

He nodded tightly, the expression on his face darkening. "Yes. But before I continue, I want your word that you'll not tell anyone about this, other than this Ohgi that Zero spoke of; I assume he's the leader of your group. You two will be able to convince the others to at least give me a shot, we can build trust from there, but I can count the number of people who know even parts of my story on my fingers, and I plan to keep it that way. It's safer for her."

Kallen wanted to protest, but she could certainly sympathize with his reasoning, at least. "Fine."

He took a deep breath. "Eight years ago, we lived as the children of a prominent court noble in Pendragon," he began. "In December of 2009, our mother was killed—assassinated, to be precise—because she was a commoner. In the same attack, Nunnally was crippled when a bullet hit her, and was also blinded—apparently a psychosomatic response to the trauma of witnessing her mother gunned down in front of her." As Lelouch spoke, his already grim expression morphed into a rictus of pure hatred. "My father, like the fucking bastard he is, refused to press the investigation with the authorities, and then packed us off to Japan when I protested, citing the Emperor's policy of culling weakness as an excuse to get rid of us. When Britannia invaded, instead of going back, we took refuge with the Ashford family—they'd been friends of my mother's and I met Reuben several times in Pendragon—and changed our names."

Kallen thought for a moment. "So Milly knows all this?"

"She knows I hate my father and Britannia, but not that I'm actively fighting, no. I doubt it would surprise her, though; she's smarter than she acts."

"OK. But why fight back against the empire as a whole?" Kallen asked curiously. "It didn't kill your mother, and you're still Britannian."

"Because it has committed countless atrocities during and after the Invasion of Japan, and needs to be destroyed." He gave a harsh chuckle as she looked at him skeptically. "What, can't I be selfless? But you're right, there are other reasons. First, Nunnally can't live happily as long as Britannia exists; it will just continue to label her as weak and thus not worth any attention. Maybe more importantly, I've dug up evidence that my mother was killed by the Emperor, or at least someone close to him."

"So your mother was specifically targeted by the Emperor?" Kallen demanded incredulously.

"Or someone close to him. The evidence is circumstantial, but pretty conclusive." Lelouch shrugged. "That's pretty much my story. I hate the empire for hurting Nunnally, and the emperor for letting my mother's killer get away with it, and working with Zero lets me achieve my goals. Is that convincing enough for you?"

"I mean…" The red-head trailed off. _Is it really enough to explain it all? He's probably not telling me everything, but I barely know him. And even though I hate Britannia because it oppresses my people, I'd be kidding myself if Naoto wasn't a big reason._ "Yes. And I promise not to talk to anyone but Ohgi about it."

"Thanks." Lelouch replied. "We should go downstairs; the others will be starting to get suspicious, and I _really_ don't want Milly suspicious." Kallen saw him visibly shudder as he held the door open for her.

 _Wow,_ she thought. _I'd heard the stories, but if someone that close to her is terrified…_ The red-head suddenly realized just how much trouble she was in for as Lelouch opened the door to the student council lounge.

* * *

Lelouch heard Nunnally's cry as soon as he opened the door. It still surprised him, the way she knew who was coming. "Big brother, is it him? It's a mistake, right? Suzaku didn't kill Clovis!"

 _Wait… They arrested him today?_ His thoughts racing, Lelouch rushed to Nunnally and took hold of her hands, squeezing gently. "Shh. Of course he didn't do it, Nunnally." Embracing her, he slowly stroked her hair.

"But it is him, though? Our Suzaku?" Despite being preoccupied, he could feel the confused and—in Nina's case—fearful stares of his friends.

"Yes, it's him. And once they figure out he didn't do it, I'll make sure to bring him here, OK?" Feeling Nunnally nod into his shoulder, he stood up and turned to Milly. "I'm going to put her to bed. I'll talk to you tomorrow." Saying good night to the others, he wheeled his sister's chair down the hall.

* * *

"So he really didn't do it?" Nunnally asked again as Lelouch lifted her into bed after dinner. He'd originally planned to introduce CC then, but his sister had been so preoccupied that he didn't want to pile on any more stress.

"Of course not. He'd never do anything like that, even to someone who deserved it. Once court figures that out, he'll be fine, and then we'll meet him again, OK?" Lelouch felt guilty for lying to her again, but it wasn't as if he could just tell her everything.

Nunnally nestled her cheek in the palm of Lelouch's hand. "Promise me that he'll be alright?"

He wanted to laugh, but knew that his sister was being completely serious. "I promise. Suzaku's going to be alright, and we're going to talk to him again soon."

"Mm. I love you, big brother." She yawned and began to doze off, but Lelouch stiffened and stayed at her bedside for several minutes.

 _She… she said she loved me._ The prince felt a growing lump in his throat. _She still loves me._ A tear dropped onto his hand, and he realized it was his. He stroked Nunnally's cheek once more before standing up. Quietly shutting the door to his sister's room, Lelouch leaned against the wall for a moment before realizing there was someone else in the hallway. "CC?"

His companion stepped out of the shadows and embraced him. "I heard her," she said simply. They both were content to stay there a while before she finally broke the silence again. "So they arrested Suzaku today?"

Her words gently refocused him on the problem, and he took a deep breath. "Yes, so I'll have to contact Kallen early tomorrow. At least I already ordered the outfit, so that should be ready in time."

His green-haired companion frowned slightly. "Do you know why everything's accelerated?" CC asked as they returned to his room.

"I think that At a guess, I'd say that Suzaku's arrest was early because of some… differences in how I handled him," Lelouch finished lamely. "I assume you ordered some pizza or something for yourself?" The prince tried to redirect her attention, but she simply raised an eyebrow at him.

"Differences?"

He sighed. "I may have made his death a little more painful than strictly necessary, which might have prompted the purists to take a stronger, more rapid response." Lelouch fell back onto the bed, clenching his fists at the memory as he glared holes in the ceiling. "I lost control again, and far too easily."

He felt CC curl up beside him, resting her head on his shoulder. "And what triggered the episode?"

 _I guess that's as good a label as any for it_. The prince closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Clovis said that no one cared about you and that meant it was OK to torture you, so I shot him in the knee and stomped on it before I killed him." The body pressed against him shook, and Lelouch realized that his companion was laughing silently.

"That's… Something tells me most girls would find that rather disturbing," CC finally replied after regaining control of herself, laughter still evident in her tone.

"And what do you think about it?"

"Oh, I don't know." The immortal rolled over to straddle him and grinned, her eyes twinkling. "I think it's quite romantic, actually."

He snorted. "I'm not sure what it says about me that I'm happy that you enjoy the thought of me painfully killing someone."

"The same person who tortured me for years," CC reminded him, her tone becoming serious and filled with real emotion. "But beyond that, it means that you really do care. I know that you only lose control when someone you _love_ gets hurt. And that's what matters to me," she finished as she leaned down to kiss him deeply.

Breathing hard as she pulled back, Lelouch vividly felt the heat of her body where it touched his as he considered her words. A tremor ran through his body when he realized that she was absolutely right, and what that meant. The prince reached out and caressed the cheek of his companion. "Then… I love you?" His tone was half questioning, still not quite believing his own words.

CC just smiled happily, almost in relief, and gave him another kiss. "Yes, you do," she whispered emotionally as she began to unbutton his uniform shirt. "And I love you, Lelouch vi Britannia."

 **A/N:**

 **As promised, here is the next chapter in "From Guilt, Resolve," though its not that action-heavy, since everything is at Ashford. I've been working on it when I could, what with the rush of the end of classes, but got the final revision done tonight after I finished my last final.**

 **Well, sort of. To be honest, I'm not completely happy with the scenes with CC, but they show her mostly as I want them to. In my mind—at least for this story—she and Lelouch are kind of like two ruined columns, only standing with the support of the other. Both are emotionally fragile and rely on their facades to protect themselves except with each other, especially with the time travel, and that's what I'm trying to portray. It isn't perfect, because CC is super hard to write no matter what, let alone without falling into what I'd call the "humor trap." That isn't a criticism of stories where CC is funny, but that isn't really my goal. I might have "intensified" their relationship a bit suddenly, but it's difficult to maintain tension between two people sleeping in the same bed :)**

 **I probably could have made this chapter longer—if I didn't skip the first day, you'd have CC meeting Nunnally, another meeting with Kallen, etc.—but I didn't really feel there was any point to include those scenes, and as I said before I will be cutting some unnecessary scenes. Also, the reason that I gave myself a deadline was to make me focus on the important things and make them good as a way to force myself to draw the line on things that I just didn't have the motivation to write well-such as pointless scenes like the first meeting with the student council. Nothing important changed, and I'll assume that you all know the source material :) . And, I'm not going to lie, I simply don't find it very enjoyable to write ridiculously fluffy scenes simply to increase word count (I claim in a wall-of-text A/N; but seriously).**

 **LAST BUT NOT LEAST,** _ **thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, followed, or favorited this story**_ **. Any such support is greatly appreciated. On a related note:**

 **Response to dayfox96: Thank you for the support! I'm glad you like it, and hopefully you'll continue to enjoy it.**

 **Response to ewertondragon: First, thanks for the review. I appreciate any and all feedback as always. To your first point, Jeremiah will play a significant role (look at the prelude), as will Sayoko to a lesser extent, but that will come later in the story. Whether or not Lelouch tells anyone, let alone them, about the time travel is still up in the air. From my perspective as a writer getting in the head of the character, the question is** _ **why would Lelouch tell them that?**_ **His overriding goal at this point is to protect the people that he cares about, including the people you mentioned (especially Euphemia). Any change that he makes and the associated ripples can introduce uncertainty, which puts them at risk. The other question is simply why** _ **would**_ **he tell anyone in the first place? Even beyond the impact on the future, the only benefit in telling people he's a time traveler is the emotional companionship, which he has to some extent already in CC.**

 **Your second point is well-taken, and there are obviously many views of relationships in CG. Then again, the point of fanfiction is to give the author a chance to put their own stamp on the source material. This chapter also clarified some of your question, but as to the rest, this fic will not be any sort of a harem fic. Lelouch and CC will be together; in my view, even in the original series, though Lelouch cared about the others, he never had the same type of emotional intimacy with any of them, at least not like he did with CC, and that will be reflected in this story.**

 **Sorry that was so wordy, but I hope I answered your questions.**

 **Anyway, I hope to get another two chapters out by around May 10. I'll have to slow down then, when I start my summer jobs, but I'll continue to work on it. Also, next chapter has the first substantial segments from Suzaku's perspective! Hype!**

 **Thanks again for reading!**


	4. Zero

**A/N and Disclaimer:**

 **EDIT: 5/20/16: Corrected the name of my other fanfic in ending A/N. No content changes made.**

 **Hello to all,**

 **Welcome back to another chapter of "From Guilt, Resolve." I apologize for this chapter taking so long to put up. An explanation and full apology are at the end of the chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I own no part of Code Geass or any of the characters appearing in it.**

* * *

 **Geass**

 _Thoughts_ or occasionally for _emphasis_

" _Preludes"_ followed by -Source

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Zero**

* * *

Suzaku's eyes sent pulsing waves of agony racing through him as the blinding directional lamp flickered on again. The reflexive flinch triggered another spasm in his aching shoulders, and he bit his lip to keep himself from crying out. It became clear soon after he was arrested that the straitjacket was itself an instrument of torture. The garment was cinched just so to make it feel like a prisoner's shoulders were about to be dislocated… and then left that way to inflict steadily mounting pain. Suzaku shook his head and blinked in an attempt to relieve his eyes, but the reprieve ended when a heavy baton thudded down across his shoulder blades, spinning him from the chair, his vision bursting into stars as he hit something on the way down.

"Get him up." As he was dragged back into his chair, Suzaku tasted copper in his mouth. There was blood—his blood, he realized—on the corner of the metal table. Blinking his eyes a few more times and shaking his head to clear it, he raised his eyes to face his newest interrogator.

* * *

The oddly pleasurable sensation of something cold drifting along CC's skin made her shudder and stir from her slumber. Really, she'd been at least semi-awake for some time, if she was being honest. Lelouch had woken her when he got up several hours ago to order Zero's costume early enough that it would be ready for tonight, and she'd only dozed since then. "Lelouch, I'm trying to sleep," she muttered. The touch continued its lazy circles along her exposed arm, just barely brushing against her flesh, gently tickling her skin. Allowing her mind to wander, CC thought about last night. She'd expected him to be more uncomfortable, if truth be told, but while inexperienced and awkward he hadn't been as hesitant or embarrassed as she'd worried he might be. She was disturbed when she realized the sensation hadn't ceased. Rolling over to face her partner— _lover_ , she corrected happily—she tried to glare at the prince lying beside her, but he wasn't looking at her, instead staring at the ceiling, deep in thought. "Lelouch!"

"Mm? Oh." His fingers stopped moving abruptly. "Good morning, Cera." He used it deliberately, but didn't over-emphasize it, simply letting it come out naturally. And it was perfect.

He let the sound of her true name hang in the air. A thrill went through her body, happiness chasing off any earlier annoyance. CC had slept with many men over the years, but she couldn't remember the last time when she was with one who cared for anything beyond physical pleasure. Certainly not for centuries, at least. But Lelouch was different. He wasn't just after her body or her code or anything else. He loved her. He really _loved_ her. A single, happy tear rolled down her cheek. "You said it right this time," she said softly, almost hoarsely.

"I'm glad you liked it." She stayed silent, content to let him finish. "I wish I was brave enough to confess to you sooner."

"I knew your reasons and didn't mind, and now it doesn't matter."

I'm—"

"Don't say it, Lelouch." Why was it that every conversation since he'd killed his father inevitably devolved into self-criticism and flagellation? Despite all his normally calculating logic, he was completely unreasonable when he was feeling guilty. "I don't care that I had to wait another few months. All that matters is that we're together now." She punctuated her statement with a kiss, holding it long enough to roll over and straddle him before drawing back and looking down at him, her hair hanging down to frame his face.

"But I—"

"Lelouch! Shut up." CC cover his mouth with her hand to ensure he listened to her for once. How ironic that people thought that she was the more stubborn of the two of them. _She_ wasn't the one who'd held a gun to her own head to get her partner to let them make a stupid decision. _She_ wasn't the one who had insisted on taking stupid, unnecessary risks like trying to single-handedly fight the Lancelot. "It doesn't matter. Do. You. Understand?" She waited until Lelouch nodded before removing her hand. CC set herself down to lie idly on his chest, purring as he began toying with her hair. "You are the most infuriatingly person on earth when you're feeling guilty, you know that?"

The prince scoffed. "Not Suzaku?"

"He's bad too, but not like you. When he gets angry at himself, he does something about it, . You just mope around and brood about how terrible you are."

He shrugged, unable to deny her words, but didn't respond. They lay there together, barely moving, for what seemed like forever. "You know," Lelouch finally said, "I should probably go to class this morning. I need to tell Kallen to meet 'Zero' at the memorial."

"You can do that from here." Lelouch rolled his eyes as her hand patted around his bedside table until she found his phone and held it up. "That's was this is for, isn't it?"

"CC…"

"Fine." She reluctantly slid off of him. "But I'm going to introduce myself to Nunnally tonight, whether you're back or not."

"I might be a little late, but I wouldn't miss it." Lelouch said as he squeezed her hand and stood up, quickly pulling on his uniform. "I'll see you tonight, CC." He gave her a parting kiss as he ran out the door.

She shrugged in reply, though he didn't see her as he rushed out, and curled back up under the covers, perfectly content to doze off again. After all, it wasn't as if she had anywhere to be. That wouldn't be part of the plan. Despite understanding the reasoning behind trying to keep the important events close to the original timeline for now, it was still excruciating to be penned up in single room. Then again… It wasn't as if anyone would catch her if she went out, as long as she was careful. No one in the military actually knew what they'd been after in Shinjuku, after all. Why not—

"I see my son rescued you from Clovis," Marianne's voice echoed in her head, interrupting her thoughts and making CC groan. "Come now, is that any way to greet an old friend?" Shit. How had she acted last time? She remembered being nearly emotionless, but could she even pull that off anymore? "Earth to CC? Hello?"

"Shut up. I'm trying to sleep." She was suitably toneless, though a hint of anxiety might have come through in her voice

"It's 10 AM in Japan and you're still asleep, CC?" Marianne's voice was playful, almost mocking. "Just what were you doing last night with my son?"

Exactly what the deceased empress was implying she'd done, CC wanted to say, but that wouldn't do at all. "9 AM, actually, and I was sleeping in a bed for the first time in years, no thanks to you. Lelouch was quite a gentleman about it, actually; he slept on the couch."

"Oh. So you didn't have passionate sex after he saved your life?" Ugh. The immortal wasn't used to incessant teasing anymore. But still… something was off. She could quite place the feeling, unless…

CC's eyes narrowed. That was it. Marianne hadn't been nearly this…blunt last time, not until well after they'd gotten rid of Mao. But what had changed? "Why the hell would we do that? Don't project your silly fantasies on me."

"Well, he did _save_ you," her former contractor said. "And emotional connection is a natural reation to stress, so—"

"I'm not some fairy tale damsel in distress, falling in love with whatever prince happens to come along to rescue me." CC wanted to going into the World of C and punch her in the face. Why had she ever agreed to work towards Ragnarok in the first place? She could never stand any of them. "And I wasn't in any danger anyway. If anything, I saved him."

"Alright, fine. Seriously, though, how are they doing? There hasn't been a way to get Anya to Japan in ages, so I haven't seen them in a while."

"I haven't seen Nunnally yet, and I didn't talk much to Lelouch, but he seems fine, other than the standard psychoses for a child _whose mother was killed right in front of them._ "

"So he still wants to avenge me?"

"No, he plans to find his mother's killer and thank him for doing him a favor." CC couldn't believe Marianne was so insecure. What did she seriously think he was going to do? "Of course he's going to get revenge."

"Alright, alright. Take care of them, CC."

"Whatever." The immortal broke off the connection.

Back on the Sword of Akasha, Marianne vi Britannia turned to face her husband. "She knows something."

"CC does?" Charles raised his eyebrow. He'd only heard one side of the conversation.

"I'm certain of it. She was too angry when I teased her."

The emperor quirked his lips when he heard the confidence in his wife's voice. "I was under the impression that most people get annoyed when you make fun of them, my dear."

"Well, yes, but…" How could she explain this? "Look, CC doesn't—didn't—care about my teasing before. She'd just ignore it. But this time she was angry, and it wasn't just for being locked up by Clovis. She started getting defensive when I joked about them sleeping together." Marianne paced back and forth, trying to figure out what made her so uneasy. "It just…"

"It's different." Charles finished for her. "Something's off, and combined with what Lelouch said, it's too much to be a coincidence."

"Exactly!" She stopped walking and spun on her heel to face Charles. "She knows _something_ , even if it's just from the residual memories from when they sealed the contract," Marianne said, referencing the fragmented memories that were a natural side effect of giving someone Geass. "Hell, I'm not sure I _wouldn't_ put money on them sleeping together last night after how sensitive she was about it. At the very least, she cares for him already in some way, which is already more than she does for any of us. We were always means to an end."

Her husband nodded slowly. CC's behavior, especially when taken with his son's, was unquestionably worrisome. "Agreed. We'll need to respond. The Knights of the Round are tied up in Europe at the moment, though."

"Send Cornelia to keep a lid on it." Charles shot a surprised glance at her. Marianne usually didn't give policy recommendations. "We can't send any of the Rounds without letting slip that we know something's wrong, especially with the European front being so precarious right now, but she's almost done in the Middle East—no more than a day or two, knowing her—and it won't be a shocking move to anyone that you'd send her to deal with another troublesome Area; the only other option is Schneizel."

Charles stroked his beard gently; it was an old habit of his that he'd broken long ago, but it resurfaced on occasion when he was thinking deeply. "And Euphemia's presence might even discourage Lelouch from destabilizing the situation further, assuming he still has affection for her. Hmm. We still need eyes and ears in Area Eleven as soon as possible once Europe has calmed down, though. Do you want to go? Or Bismarck? We need someone who knows everything."

"I'll go. Bismarck would tip off VV and maybe even CC and Lelouch, but sending a junior Knight of the Round would make sense. Maybe send Weinberg with me?"

They continued to discuss the details for some time before Marianne finally had to return to Anya's body. Left alone, Charles looked back at the Sword of Akasha before descending the stairs to the Thought Elevator. "How do you know CC, my son? And what game are the two of you playing?"

* * *

"So this Lelouch guy told you that his boss would meet us here?" Ohgi put a voice to the same doubts that the rest of the resistance members were having. To be honest, she couldn't blame them.

"I know it's crazy, but it's the only lead we've got, and I kinda trust Lelouch." She reddened at her leader's raised eyebrow and smile. There were downsides to having an immediate superior who was also a surrogate older brother. The thought sent a familiar pang of loss through her, but she ignored it, as usual. "Not like that! It's just that his reasons for fighting are very similar to mine," she said. "Even though he's Britannian, he hates the Empire as much as we do. He would do anything to let his sister live more happily, and that means destroying Britannia."

"Why does he need to destroy Britannia for his sister?"

Belatedly, she remembered the promise she had made to her fellow student. "He…he made me promise not to say too much." Kallen was saved from explaining further by a vibration in her pocket. She pulled out the phone Lelouch had given her and flipped it open. "Yes?"

"I'm glad you all came. Get on the westbound train leaving at 4:15 and come to the front car. I'll be waiting for you there." There was a click on the end of the line and Kallen hissed in frustration. He'd better not keep doing that if they formally started working together.

It was a good five minutes before Lelouch heard the door at the back of the car slide open "Was it you who engineered the ceasefire? Hey, answer us!" He hadn't given them the 'tour' this time. In retrospect, it had been a foolish ploy to denigrate the opinions of those he was trying to persuade. It was shocking that even Kallen and Ohgi had followed him back then, but hindsight was perfect, after all. Still, he had to make them understand his goals somehow.

"Tell me, what do you think your actions accomplish, Kaname Ohgi?" He asked as he turned around, revealing his masked visage to his soon-to-be allies.

"What?" Of all the things Zero could have said, that was not what he'd had expected.

"In the grand scheme of things, what has your resistance done for the Japanese people?" Lelouch walked over to the window overlooking the ghettos, the familiar, decade-old ruins stretching out toward the sunset. He remembered when he had reached the edge of what had even then been the Britannian quarter, looking out at a very similar sight. Nunnally had been sleeping. It hadn't been safe for Suzaku to continue with them, but it wasn't far from here that he'd made that first oath to destroy Britannia.

"We're making their lives better," Kallen said angrily, answering for her leader. "That's why we fought in Shinjuku." How could he say something like that? Wasn't it obvious?

"Then why do people still become Honorary Britannians, Q-1? Are you fighting for them or for revenge?" He turned his head back toward them. "I don't deny that I fight for revenge; so does Lelouch. But what have you accomplished for these people? Honorary Britannians still live far better lives than those too prideful to work for their oppressors."

"How can you say we aren't doing anything? We saved the people of Shinjuku and—"

"Then why did nine hundred seventy-three people die?" Lelouch shook his head. It was incredible, really, how people could still simply fail to grasp the consequences of their actions. "You didn't 'save' them, you put them at risk. You stole poison gas and tried to hide it inside of a populated area, and almost half the ghetto's population died for it." None of them dared answer him. "And even if you were successful, such actions accomplish nothing, change _nothing_. So long as Britannia and its damnable Emperor remain, the only result is harder crackdowns and more dead Japanese. You aren't thinking of the end goal."

"And what's that? Killing Charles zi Britannia and tearing down his empire?" Tamaki asked incredulously.

"Yes." Kallen was just as surprised as her friends when she heard herself speak up. The blank mask cocked his head at her. "Lelouch wouldn't be working with you otherwise, right? He's fighting for revenge first, and that means thinking beyond Japan." And he really wouldn't, she realized. She could empathize wholeheartedly with his need for revenge. "He wants Britannia itself ground into dust."

Zero nodded. "Perhaps not all of it, but he certainly hates its government and philosophy, though I wouldn't say that he fights for revenge _first_. He truly does care about the Japanese people. But he won't accept stopping short of destroying those who wronged him and his sister, so our long-term goals align because of the realities of power." The costumed figure strode forward to stand before them, hands calmly clasped behind him. "As long as Britannia's policy is constant expansion, they won't— _can't_ —simply abandon Japan."

"Shit. You're talking about the sakuradite," Ohgi said, finally coming to the realization Lelouch had been waiting impatiently for one of them to grasp.

"Exactly!" Zero waved his hand dismissively. "What do a few lives here or there—or even the entire Britannian population of Tokyo—mean to the Emperor? Britannia's place in the world requires sakuradite; to strike a real blow against them, we need to undermine the system itself; until that happens, nothing will change!" Lelouch stretched his hands out to encompass both halves of Tokyo. "Fighting to liberate Japan alone is noble but ultimately hopeless. You target the Britannian people as a proxy for their oppressive rulers, but they aren't at fault; it is their bastard of an emperor who has done this."

Kallen narrowed her eyes. She didn't dispute his reasoning, but still... "Even if we agree, who are you, really? Aren't you going to take off your mask?" The other resistance members echoed their agreement.

"I won't endanger those I love by doing that. Tell me, Q-1: if Naoto was still alive, but revealing yourself as a terrorist would endanger him, would you choose not to fight, or would you conceal your identity from everyone, including your allies, to protect him? This face," Lelouch gestured at his mask, "does not belong to me. It belongs to the people, and it will bring justice. Tonight, I am going to show that to the world." He had them at the Naoto line. Everyone has something they are willing to protect; Schneizel said that to him years ago. It's only ever a question of finding that drive and harnessing it towards a common goal. "I will tell you when I feel it is safe for my loved ones, but not before. Knowing that, will you join me to fight Britannia and bring peace to this world?"

* * *

"I… am Zero!"

Lelouch grinned as he made the familiar declaration. CC had finally convinced him that practicality and cold calculation should win out over the sentimental entanglement that had become his greatest weakness, especially with regard to other people. This time, though, even she would surely forgive him a little beat of theatrics. It was time for the world to know his name. Lelouch didn't even notice what Jeremiah was saying until the second squad of Sutherlands dropped onto the road around him.

"Now you can remove that mask!" Jeremiah's tone was as arrogant as ever. It was almost sad that the purist still believed he was in control of the situation.

With a snap of his fingers, the thin walls concealing the 'gas' canister collapsed. Lelouch could hear the crowd begin to murmur, unnerved by the ominous device behind him. The reaction of the purists, on the other hand, was considerably more dramatic. "Are you going to shoot me?" He asked Gottwald as the purist leveled his pistol. "I'm sure you realize the consequences of that."

"It doesn't matter!" Jeremiah gritted his teeth. Even with the poison gas, he couldn't allow some random malcontent to ruin their chance to finally be rid of the Honorary Britannian system.

"And why should I listen to you, Jeremiah Gottwald, when you are about to knowingly hang an innocent man?"

"He killed Prince Clovis and he'll die for it!"

"No, he didn't. _I did_!" Lelouch signaled Kallen to roll closer to Jeremiah's knightmare. "Suzaku Kururugi is innocent, unless being a loyal servant of a corrupt empire that hates him is a crime."

"How dare you come here then?! I will have your head!"

"And endanger all these bystanders with exposure to the late viceroy's experimental weapons? To Code R? I was told that you were at least an honorable man, but perhaps you have changed in the last seven years." The murmuring in the crowd grew much louder now, and some people at the edges started to back away.

What? Seven years? That would be… _Aries?_ Jeremiah's eyes shot wide. "What do you—"

"We are being broadcast live all over Japan, Margrave." Lelouch interrupted him before his future knight could say anything suspicious. "The choice is yours. Save the lives of a thousand Britannian civilians… or take mine." Zero flung his arms out to either side as he spoke offering himself as a target.

Gottwald ground his teeth together. There was no doubt in his mind that the bastard was grinning under his mask, but logic was still logic. He and the Purists would be blamed for it if civilians died; even worse, if the gas was released, it would undoubtedly kill this 'Zero', and with him any chance of finding out what he knew about the prince he had come to this wretched Area to serve all those years ago. "Let the prisoner go, Villetta."

"Lord Gottwald, he admitted to murdering our Prince!" Kewell readied his weapons.

"Follow my orders, Kewell!" Jeremiah opened a private channel with the other Purists, muting the microphone Diethard had given him for the occasion so no one else would hear. "The canister is the same poison gas that the terrorists stole in Shinjuku. If this 'Zero' character releases it here, every bystander dies, and we—the Purists—will be blamed for it."

"He's right." Thank God for disciplined soldiers. Gottwald had become a Purist because he was in the area where his prince had presumably died. Kewell was simply a dyed-in-the-wool racist who was devoted to the aristocratic ideal, and hated commoners almost as much as he did Numbers. The only reason that Jeremiah hadn't gotten rid of the bastard was because he was a vicious attack dog of a man once he got his teeth in a problem and he had too many family connections. "We'd kill him for certain, but we can't very well prosecute Kururugi now and maintain legitimacy, and if that gas goes off we lose everything," she continued. "Honestly, it's probably the best way out for us too. If that wannabe knight joins Zero as I assume he will, then we're vindicated in charging him with terrorism and heroes of the common people for putting their lives above revenge. It gives Zero what he wants too, but that doesn't change that it's still a good choice."

Traces of the woman who had been heavily scouted for the Office of Military Intelligence, or OMI, could be heard in her thorough analysis, and Jeremiah almost smiled in relief, though he could heard his more zealous subordinate grinding his teeth over the radio. "Don't misunderstand me, Kewell. We _will_ kill him. He embarrassed the Purists, and he will pay for it. But not today." Kewell grunted in frustration but lowered his weapon. Jeremiah turned his attention back to the terrorist and waved Kururugi to walk over to him. "I accept your terms, Zero. The Eleven for the canister."

"I expected no less, Margrave. Now if you'll excuse me," Zero said as the cab of the truck unfolded itself into a construction frame, "I think that I'll just leave this here for you, as… insurance of your good behavior." He waved to the gas canister. "Until next time, Lord Gottwald!" He bowed mockingly at the Margrave as the frame made its escape

"DAMMIT!" Kewell's knightmare again readied its weapon.

"Stand down!" Jeremiah leveled his own frame's rifle at Kewell cockpit. "One life for a thousand, Kewell. I won't hesitate."

* * *

Suzaku Kururugi looked around the abandoned building that Zero had taken him to. It had been a theater of some sort before the war, but a thick layer of dust and debris covered everything. The room felt almost like the echoes of the final performance still lingered, the half-remembered legacy of a once-proud tradition.

"It's quite depressing, isn't it? Remembering what has been lost." His attention was drawn to the shadowy figure standing calmly on the largest chunk of the collapsed ceiling. Zero. His 'rescuer'. "They have taken so much."

"Yes." Suzaku couldn't deny the man's words. "But it doesn't mean that more violence will solve anything. Why did you kill Clovis? You'll just antagonize the Britannians."

"Because it was justice, Suzaku Kururugi. Under any fair court, he would have been tried and convicted of countless charges, many carrying the death penalty; you are well aware of that, after Shinjuku. If there was any chance of bringing him to justice in court, I might've done so." Zero paused for a moment, then shrugged. "Or perhaps I would not have. I would be lying if I didn't admit that I had a very personal reason for wanting him dead."

"So you would sacrifice innocent lives for personal reasons?" Suzaku wanted to punch the mask. Zero was just another terrorist, and more delusional than most. "What kind of champion is that? Do you really think you have honor?"

"He hurt the one person I could not possibly give up and nearly took her from me! If your closest friend or loved one was threatened, can you say that you would not protect them however you could?!" His caped shoulders seemed to slump, like his outburst had drained him. The mask turned away as if in shame. "You are right, Kururugi. I am no champion, no knight of honor, no samurai of old. But as long as the people believe I'm a hero, then I can be one for them. After all, what is a hero, if not the manifestation of the hopes of an entire people?" Zero shook his head. "But I'm not. You already have judged me quite accurately in that way, if I'm not mistaken."

That… wasn't what Suzaku had expected to hear. "Then why did you take those people? They were innocent."

"I could make the argument that they are Britannians, but I don't believe that any innocents deserve death." the masked man said without turning to face him. "There was never any poison gas in the canister, as you well know; I saw you try to warn Gottwald of that. They were never in danger of anything except stray bullets."

"That doesn't change the fact that you threatened them!"

Zero gingerly stepped down from the debris before answering. "You're right. But tell me, Kururugi, which of us saved more of the people in Shinjuku: my opposition to Clovis or your actions piloting that white knightmare of yours." Suzaku froze as his adversary casually flaunted his knowledge, and the terrorist shrugged. "It wasn't that difficult to extrapolate from known facts, and your response only confirmed my suspicions. What do you think would have happened to the people you saved after the battle? Do you really believe he would have let them go?"

"That doesn't matter. You still are a criminal." Zero walked up to him, and Suzaku found himself staring at a distorted image of himself in the reflective faceplate, a twisted mirror. Could he have been this? He shook his head; it was just his reflection, distorted by the curvature.

The other man cocked his head to one side. "I envy people like you, Kururugi. I find your belief in honesty, honor, and law… admirable." The soldier was surprised to hear the wistfulness in Zero's voice. "You are the hero I wish I could be. The hero Japan deserves, and the hero of the future. But I am the one that it needs for now."

"What?"

"Some things must be destroyed before they can be rebuilt, Suzaku. Britannia is rotten, no matter what you tell yourself, and until it is gone no Area will be free."

Suzaku turned away in disgust and started toward the exit, rubble crunching underfoot. "Tell yourself what you will, Zero. But you are a monster. The ends will never justify the means, not how you want them to. That blood will be on your hands when the time comes, and I bring you to justice for it."

He heard a chuckle behind him. "Then I will welcome it as the day that I will no longer be needed, Suzaku Kururugi. Good luck at your trial."

* * *

"I'm home, Nunnally!" Lelouch called as he slipped his shoes off. It had taken him longer than he'd expected to get home, but he figured she'd still be waiting for him.

"Big brother! Did you hear?" Nunnally rolled out of the dining room to greet him. "They said Suzaku was innocent! I heard it on the radio while Ms. CC and I were eating dinner!"

"That's great! I told you he'd be OK." Looking up, Lelouch saw CC lean against the doorway and take a bite of pizza, and he was surprised to see her looking… well, normal. Like any other teenage girl might if they weren't required to wear uniform skirts. Her hair was still the same, but she wore new clothes: skinny jeans and a black t-shirt. Well, they were really his clothes, but it didn't matter. "Hey, CC"

"You did tell me that." Nunnally glared at him; he never figured out how she managed it with her eyes shut, but her displeasure was unmistakable. "But why didn't you tell me you had a girlfriend?! Don't deny it!"

CC shoved the last bit of pizza in her mouth put her hands out helplessly. "I didn't say anything," CC said through the food. She finally swallowed. "I won't deny it either, though."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Nunnally asked again, pouting at Lelouch.

"I—" He didn't get a chance to finish his response.

"Because he's a _boy_. And a socially awkward one at that." He glared daggers at CC as she walked over to Nunnally's chair and crouched down to put an arm around her. "He's scared of having a girlfriend," she whispered loudly enough for him to hear, "despite our dating for over a year." He raised his eyebrow at that last part, but CC just made a face at him.

Lelouch eventually chose to ignore her comments entirely. "Look, CC will be staying with us for quite a while, Nunnally. You're right, she is my girlfriend—" he supposed that if they'd already confessed their love and slept with each other, saying they were in a relationship was probably fair "—and I care very much for her."

"Wait. Are you… did you…" Nunnally turned back and forth between them, thinking quickly. She was only fourteen, but even she knew what it meant when a girlfriend moved in with her boyfriend. "But that means…are you going to get married?!" Her voice was a screech by the time she finished. At least their quarters had been sound proofed, or Lelouch would have been worried about Milly hearing it from her dorm. Still, he groaned quietly. It was going to be a long night.

 **A/N:**

 **First of all, I want to apologize for how long this took me to put up. There was a family situation that I had to deal with, and that compounded with writer's block for parts of the chapter made it entirely too easy to delay. I probably rewrote this entire chapter at least once while revising it, if not more, and I'm still not thrilled with how it came out, but I just wanted to get it out there as promised and move on.**

 **So anyway, my apologies for the 9 day delay and the single chapter update instead of the intended two, but hopefully I will be more efficient. The same family situation that delayed the chapter somewhat also ended up pushing back when I could start my summer job, so I have a little more time to make up for being behind.**

 **Separately, I'm curious at to what people's responses would be if I included a lemon? I'm still not sure if I feel comfortable writing one, but there are places where it just feels awkward to do a fade to black, like at the end of this chapter. I wasn't about to write three pages about Nunnally freaking out, but it would have made sense to include something afterwards; in fact, I had most of such a scene written, its just that the scene transition felt super awkward. Feedback on that would be appreciated. Also, there is no prelude this chapter since there isn't a whole lot to say that isn't spoilery.**

 **I've also posted the first chapter of another CG fic, named "The Price of Vengeance." The premise is that Nunnally was killed during the invasion and Lelouch stayed with the Ashford family as a foster child, instead of simply being at the Academy. Similar stories have been done, but it's interesting and fun to write. Lelouch will be dark. REALLY dark, going by his behavior in the parts I have so far. Have I mentioned I like dark main characters?** **That said, "From Guilt, Resolve" (Which I will refer to as FGR in later A/N's) will still be my focus.**

 **Thanks for your patience. I'll aim to get the next chapter up at some point in the next week, but no promises after what happened last week (sorry again), especially with Warhammer Total War coming out so soon. Thank you to all those who followed, favorited, or reviewed—more are always welcome. And now...**

 **Responses to Reviews:**

 **Thank you to adiaz2049 and Paradox009 for their kind words.**

 **Emareyes87: Clu-Clu is love. Clu-Clu is life. Clu-Clue will never die. Just like polka (** _ **Dead Beat**_ **from the Dresden files for the reference).**

 **Lordban: Umm. Yes. That would be a suitable response, though not immediately necessary. What can I say? I like to break characters and make them suffer, even my favorites. I think it's why I liked watching Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Fate/Zero.**

 **Finally, last and certainly not least I want to give a huge, giant, spirit bomb of a shout-out to fanfiction exe, although I also (in part) blame him(/her) for this chapter taking so long. See, his(/her) reviews and our PM conversation afterwards were a great help to me, and led me to go and search for a writer's blog, which led to me spending a full day reading everything on the blog, which then led to me pulling my best depressed Lelouch imitation for a day because I realized how much more I needed to do, and then I pretty much threw out all of my draft up to that point. I'm a bit of a perfectionist sometimes. That said, I found the blog incredibly useful in how it talked about the analytical side of how to write fiction, like smoothing out transitions in perspective, understanding psychic distance, and balancing showing vs telling vs feeling, and so on. Obviously it didn't magically fix all my problems, but it gave me stuff to focus on, which really helped me, as detail-oriented as I am. The name of the blog is "This Itch of Writing" for anyone who's interested, and it's also the first hit when you google "ping pong dialogue," which is how I found it. So thanks again to fanfiction exe for that.**


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